Pork Belly and Sour Kimchi Stir Fry

I cannot emphasize the importance of using Sour Kimchi enough. Well, I put it specifically in the title so maybe that’ll help better convey the gravity of this situation. I understand everyone cooks and interprets things in their own way, yada yada, but–no. Please do not use kimchi that is not sour. It’s just not good in cooked dishes. Okay? Please. Thank you. If you love kimchi, this is worth it.

If you have kimchi that is not sour yet you can either just leave it in the fridge for up to a few weeks to let it sour that way or you can leave it out in a dark place for a night or two until it sours. Even if this does not sour it immediately, it’ll speed up the fermenting process drastically.

Common sense applies here. Make sure kimchi is patted down in an even layer, in a clean, sealed container and there is at least an inch or so of room on top, this depends on the quantity and vesssel used. 2 gallon jar? Leave at least a few inches of room on top. A smaller wide glass container, about an inch or so. It will bubble over and you don’t want to wake up to kimchi juice all over the kitchen.

All that’s left is to cook it with some meat (the most popular and my favorite meat: pork belly) some onion, a touch of sesame oil and maybe some gochujang. That is it. This is by far my top 5, maybe even top 3, favorite things to eat. Probably more so because I can’t just make it when I want, the kimchi has. to. be. SOUR.

My kimchi is very garlicky so I don’t add garlic to this dish but if you’re using kimchi that you think needs more garlic, add some minced garlic when adding the gochujang.

Pork Belly And Sour Kimchi Stir Fry

Makes 2 servings (not enough servings if you are kimchi-lover like me). Takes about 30 minutes.

1/2 lb pork belly

2 cups packed Sour Kimchi with the juice

1/4 onion, cut into thin slices

1 t. Gochujang

1 t. Sesame Oil

1 green onion, thinly sliced

Slice the pork belly into thin slices, about 1/4″ thick. Heat up saute pan over high heat and add about a teaspoon of oil. Add the pork belly to the pan and saute for a minute or two then spread into an even layer. If you are a wide saute pan, gather the pork belly in the center in a couple of layers.

Add the onion on top of the pork belly in an even layer, and then the kimchi to cover everything. If you are using a wide pan, gather it more in the center, don’t spread it out. Add about 1 T. of water and cook until it starts bubbling then cover with lid and lower heat to medium high. Cook for 10 minutes.

Uncover, raise heat to high, and add the gochujang. Stir frequently and adjust heat if necessary so the bottom doesn’t burn and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. Taste at this point and stir in more gochujang if you like that flavor. Add the sesame oil, also taste again and add more if desired. Stir and cook for another minute.